Metallic fence-post



(E0 Model.)

H. G. TUCKER.

META LLIG FENCE POST.

N0. 391,869. Patented Oct. 30, 1888.

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llsirTsn STATES PATENT @rrrcis.

HENRY O. TU GKER, OF NEXVARK, NElV JERSEY.

M ETA LLIC FENCE-*POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,869, dated October 30, 1888.

Application filed May 31, 1888. Serial No. 275,643.

To aZZ whom, it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, HENRY O. TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in metallic fence-posts of the class ordinarily used in the construction of wire fences; and it consists, broadly speaking, in improved means for rendering the post stable in the earth and maintaining it in an upright position; also to improved means whereby the wires may be attached to the posts, and also to improved methods of construction whereby the parts of the posts may be disconnected during trans portation, thus reducing their bulk.

In the drawings the same reference letters indicate the same parts in all the-figures.

Figure 1. illustrates a plan view of my invention, a part of the post being broken away, showing the shoe at the lower end of the post, the anchor at or near the surface of the grou nd,

V and the wire-attaching hooks above the anchor.

Fig. 1 illustrates a side View of the post, showing the manner in which the wire-supporting hooks are stamped out from the post. Fig. 2 illustrates a top view of the anchor. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 illustrate modified constructions of posts. Fig. 7 illustrates a modified construction of the means for attaching the wires to the posts.

A is the shaft or upright of the post. It is preferably made of rolled angle-iron. It may be simply L-shaped, as shown in Figs. 1, l, and 2, or it may be T-iron, or square, or round, as preferred, or it may be made in the forms shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

B is a shoe, which may be made of cast-iron. It is pointed at its lower end and provided with flanges or ribs (3 and an upwardly-extending portion, 1), which is recessed to receive the lower end of the post. The shape of the recess of course conforms to that of a crosssection of the post.

E is a hole cast or otherwise formed in the shoe, which registers with a corresponding hole made in the lower end of the post. A

pin passes through these holes when the post is about to be set, which, after insertion, is

(No model.)

preferablybent sidcwise by a blow from a hammer or otherwise, whereby the shoe will be permanently locked on the end of the post.

F F are flat surfaces formed on the upper edges of the flanges G, upon which the conr pacted earth rests and firmly holds the post down. For the corner-posts, gate-posts, &c., these flanges may be made very wide, if desired, so that the lifting strain will be overcome and the posts held down in proper place.

G is the top anchor. It may also be made of cast-iron in substantially the form of the shoe B. It has flanges H H H H, corresponding to those on the shoe, but preferably con-' siderably larger in all dimensions, and I pre fer that the flanges which lie parallel with the line of fence, as seen at H H, should be considerably wider than those which lie crosswise thereof, so that lateral inclinations of the fence, to which it is especiallyliable, may be avoided. There is no objection to making all the flanges of this top anchor of the same size as those which resistlateral inclinations, excepting that such construction unnecessarily consumes metal and adds to the weight of the anchors, increasing cost, transportation charges, labor, 8:0. It will be noticed that the flat surfaces at the upper edges of the flanges on the anchor are beveled in toward the flange on their under sides. They are so made in order that the anchor may be more readily driven into the earth, and these flat surfaces do not extend from flange to flange, but radiate from the center, as do the flanges themselves. This is done for the same reason. If they were so wide and flat on their under surfaces as to resemble to any considerableextcnt a flat plate, then the anchor could not be driven into the ground. The anchors are recessed vertically from end to end, through which recess the post passes, so that they may slide on the post. The re cess, of course, conforms in shape to that of a cross-section of the post. A. pin, J, passes through ahole made in the anchor and through corresponding holes made in the post,whereby when the post is set the anchor may be rigidly attached to it. I prefer to make a series of holes, J J, in the post at about three inches apart, so that inequalities of the surface of the ground may be compensated for by slightly differing vertical positions of the anchor.

hook form, as shown in Figs. 1 and 1.

K are hook-shaped pieces punched out of the angle-pieces 0r flanges of the post, being attached to the post at one end, the punchingtool throwing out the opposite or free end liln T e wires are attached to the post by being placed within this punched-out hook-like part, and when properly in place therein will be firmly caught and held by simply tapping the upper part of the hook back again toward the post, and preferably partly within the slot formed in the post by the out-punching of the hook. This is seen at L, Fig. 1.

In the event of the posts being used with picketed wire fencing it will sometimes happen that a picket will come opposite the hooks on the post. This has heretofore been an annoyingincidentin the use ofthis kind of fence, because of the unsatisfactory means which th en have to be employed to fasten thefenceto that particular post. [obviate this difficulty by making the posts in the form shown in endwise view in Figs. 8 and 4that is to say, having two spaces, M M, projecting in one direction and one end in the opposite direction, the separation of the spaces M M being preferably somewhat greater than or certainly equal to the width of the picket, and '1 form the hooks K K in the posts at or near these two spaces, as shown in different forms in Figs. 3 and 4. Thus it will be impossible for a picket to cover or come opposite to both series of the hooks, and if one series should be covered by the picket a blow with the hammer will bend them out of the way, as seen at 0, Fig. 3, and the other series will then be in proper position to engage with the wire between contiguous pickets, as seen at P, Fig. 3. I prefer the construction of picket of this class shown at Fig. 4. In the event of the pickets being tubular, either angular or round, the hooks should be punched out before the posts are given their final shape.

The posts may be made in the form shownin Fig. 5-that is to say, L-shaped and having little flanges on the edges from which the hooks will be punched; or the T-shaped posts (shown in Fig. 6) may have the hooks punched out from the opposite side of the cross-bar.

In Fig. 7 I illustrate an alternative means whereby the fence-wires may be held to the posts. Q is a simple disk or button of metal having a bolt-hole and bolt R. The disk is horizontally recessed, as at S, in which recess the wire Tis placed, and then by screwing up the nut U on the bolt the wire is confined in vthe recess S and firmly held in place.

The operation is obvious. During transportation the shoe and the anchor may be disconnected from the post proper and packed in a box or sent in bulk and the posts may be wired togetherinbundleathus rendering them conveniestfl'or handling and reducing their buIk VJhen delivered at the place where the fence is to be constructed, the shoes are at tached to the bottoms of the posts, the anchors having been first slipped on the posts, and the shoes are fastened on the ends of the posts by the pin, as hereinbefore explained. The anchors may be fastened in place by a like pin before the driving of the posts or afterward,

as preferred. The post is then driven into the quire a hole to be partially if not entirelymade, because they are otherwise diffleult to drive. This will depend,however, on the character of the soil. After the post has been driven to the desired depth, then the earth should preferably be compacted around the post to close up the slight enlargement of the hole caused by the downward passage of the shoe, and then the top anchor is driven down firmly in placejust under the surface of the ground and fastened by the pin,which is then preferably clinched by lateral bending. Of course if the anchors are fixed to the post prior to driving,then they will enter the ground and assume their proper position therein during the driving operation. The fence is then laid off by the side of the line of posts and en gaged with the hooks or disks, as the case may be, and fastened as before set forth.

I do not limit myself to the details of con struction shown, since it will be apparent to those familiar with this art that they may be departed from and still my invention be employed.

1. A metallic fence-post comprising an up right, a pointed shoe provided with lateral flanges, an anchor, also provided with lateral flanges, and a post-receiving recess extending through the anchor and having flat surfaces 011 the tops of the flanges wider than the flanges, but not extending from flange to flange, the under side of said flat surfaces being inclined toward the flanges, whereby the anchor may be driven beneath the earth, said anchor and shoe being each provided with a cross-hole which registers with holes in the post, whereby the shoe and the anchor may be detachably attached to the post, substantially as set forth.

2. A metallic fence-post comprising an upright, a pointed shoe, and an anchor, the shoe and the anchor having laterally-extending flanges and substantially horizontal flat surfaces on the upper edges of the flanges, which are wider than the flanges, and which are tapered on their under surfaces at an angle to the flange, whereby they may be driven with greater ease, substantially as set forth.

3. An anchor for a metallic fence-post, hav ing downwardly and radially tapering lateral flanges, the upper edges of which are widened laterally and are substantially flat on the upper surface, but taper toward the flanges on their under surfaces, and a recess in its central vertical portion adapted to receive the post, substantially as set forth.

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of independent wire supporting and confining devices, which project laterally beyond the sides of the post in the same horizontal planes, but in different vertical planes, the two series being separated by aspace at least equal to the width of a picket of the fence, sulbstantiall y as set forth.

Signed at New'Yoi-k, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 29th day of May, A. D. 1888.

HENRY C. TUCKER.

Witnesses:

PHILLIPS ABBOTT, WILMER E. BOWEN. 

